[Muika Okura] Tomorrow Without Hope

One breath.

Two breaths.

Three breaths.

The shivering child continued to let out stunned, hardened breaths as she stared wide-eyed in front of her, her face covered in splatters of deep, red blood.

She flinched once the pool of red liquid reached her bare foot, a started breath escaping her as she tried to back up even further against the wall she was already huddled against.

“P...Papa....?”

The body in front of her lie still, a gory scene of a man who'd just put a bullet through his head in front of the child that could be no more than six years old.

“Pa...Papa...?”

She was shivering, her small arms wrapped around herself as she recalled what had just occurred. Not ten minutes ago he was shouting...crying, scaring her as he held the gun in his grasp and waved it around.

In one moment it had all changed. One moment...he was alive and the next...this...

His blood was on her...

On her face, her clothes, her hair...

Slowly, she pushed herself up as she sought the comfort of the cool wall behind her, ever so slowly making her way towards the doorway, her eyes never leaving the body of the man that she once called her father.

She gulped, her throat felt dry and she felt a lump in it as she backed away.

She continued to back away until the body was no longer in her line of view, backed away until her small hand wrapped around the doorknob of the apartment. Finally, her heart pounding rapidly as she turned the knob and ran outside, ran down the stairs, and away from the building itself.

Before she knew it, she was at the riverside, struggling to catch her breath as she eased her way down to the water.

Quickly, in an almost panicked fashion she tried to wipe the blood away from her skin with her bare hands, tried to wipe it away from the dress she was wearing but the stains came out to no avail.

A few whimpers escaped her as she struggled to get the blood off.

–

She couldn't go back.

She didn't want to go back.

Instead, she trudged through the dark streets of the city, choosing to stay in the shadows rather than out in the open.

If she went back...people would come and find her...and take her away. She didn't want to go away...She liked it here...

She'd always been told orphanages were scary. She didn't want to go to a scary place...

Eventually, she'd found a small crook between a storage bin and another building. Squeezing herself between them, she curled up, wrapping her long hair over her shoulder so she wouldn't pull it in case she needed to move.

It was going to be a long night, she'd never slept outside before...

Still...It was better than going back to see...that.

It'd been nearly seven months now...

She could hardly believe it herself, hardly believe she'd been living out here on the streets of the city for over half a year. She'd been lucky enough to run into certain people that would give her food or talk to her, not that she talked back...

She hadn't spoken to anyone since she'd ran away, it was almost as if she'd lost her voice.

Deep down, she knew if she wanted to say something to someone, she had the ability to; she just didn't want to.

Thankfully, the people that were kind enough to donate food or money to her understood her gratitude with the small nods or even smiles she gave to them, and so far, that seemed to be enough.


It was a cold night, the stars and moon covered by the thick clouds in the sky.

She sat against the chilly pavement, once again hiding in a small space between buildings as she tried to sleep for the night. She looked down at her clothes, her dress still the same dress she wore on that day, her crumpled name tag from her grade-school still stuffed deep in one of the pockets.

She was supposed to have gone to school that day, she wondered if the teachers or other students from her class were wondering about her...she never stayed in one place too long now a days...by now she felt she was probably on the other side of the city...

That was fine though, she didn't want to be found. She didn't want to be taken away to a scary place. Living out here was hard but she was managing. It was just her, she was all she had to care about in this big city.

A small breath escaped her as she hugged her legs to her. She'd walked a lot today, it felt good to sit down and rest. The cold air felt nice against her skin, she liked it. It felt a lot better than the heat from the sun.

CLANG

She looked up, her thoughts interrupted by the sound of metal hitting against the pavement. It was a trashcan, slight rustling could be heard inside as she watched it move slightly.

Moving from her spot, she crawled over towards the bin just in time for a cat to shoot out and give her a spook. Her eyes followed the fleeing feline, watching it scurry off into the night as she struggled to catch her breath.

Shaking her head, she stood and dusted off her dress. It was late, she needed sleep.

She stretched, moving to rub her eyes just as a yawn began to escape...

That yawn was never finished though as two hands clad in black cloth encircled her person, covering her mouth with a white cloth.

“Mmph!” She struggled, but the strength of the person holding her was too great. She could barely move, her only option being to continuously kick her feet.

The cloth smelled funny...

That was her last thought as everything grew foggy, as her strength began to disappear despite feeling she had plenty only moments before...

Everything was getting blurry, getting darker...Like she was falling asleep...

“There we go...” The gruff voice of the man that had captured her being the last words she heard before her consciousness escaped her.

"From now on your birth name means nothing. You'll hence be known as, 613."

The small girl remained silent; only looking up at the man as she was restrained by another whilst being given her new identity.

The man huffed, "Damn child. At least nod if you understand." His tone was angry, as the girl had not spoken once since being brought her.

"Muika Okura. That name is now dead to you. Understand?"

The girl nodded once, albeit a weak, small one.

The adult's focus went to the one restraining the child. "Take her to clinics. Get her branded and throw her in her chambers."

"Yes, sir."


"613." The doctor tapped a pen against his chin before he continued writing on the documents on his clipboard. "Blood type: B. Birth date: Unknown." He looked the girl over as she sat, bound on clinic bed as a few cultists prepared her for branding. "Underweight, hair is a bit too long...we'll have to cut it." Her hair flowed down passed her shoulders, a bit too long for a subject that would mainly be used for experiments.

As he said that, he'd waited to see he'd get a reaction from the girl, a look of worry, a plea not to cut it...nothing though. The doctor scowled at this. "Freakish child... '

He jotted down more notes, filling out necessary blanks and boxes that needed filling.

"How about I handle the rest of those papers."

The doctor looked up in surprise at the young, caramel-haired man. It was him, he was one of the youngest on the staff, but he was a medical genius, so he'd come a long way. "Nomura." The older doctor nodded before handing the man the clipboard and walking off.

Seiya looked at the girl before giving a small laugh, his eyes lingering for a a little longer than a moment. "He was a mean one, huh?"

When the girl didn't reply, his smile faltered slightly before his eyes turned to the papers in his hand. "Muika is your real name I see." He looked back up to her and his smile returned. "Then I'll call you that, calling you by a number makes you sound like some object..." He approached her table, "My name is Seiya by the way, Nomura is my surname."

The girl simply watched him, not saying a word.

"From these documents, I see you haven't said anything since you were brought in. If it's not too personal...do you mind if I ask if you can talk? Not that you have to, that's entirely your own choice."

The girl didn't move, didn't nod or shake her head. She just watched him.

Seiya gave a sigh, but smiled nonetheless. "Guess you're not one to crack, I see. I like that though, it shows you're strong willed. It's an admirable trait."

"We're ready to brand her, sir. If you'd please wait outside?"

Seiya scowled, something only Muika had noticed, as he gave a curt nod before turning; giving her an apologetic glance as he exited the room.


"So you can speak." Seiya noted, speaking to the girl sitting in front of her. He'd heard her scream as the hot metal had burned a permanent mark into the flesh of her foot...as he'd just bandaged and wrapped it. It would need a little time to heal, as it would hurt for awhile before she'd become used to walking on it. "I see they cut your hair as well...a shame really, you have such a unique hair color." Her hair was now cut short, save for one longer lock in the back that was layered under the shorter layers.

"I'll be the doctor that attends to you personally. When you have injuries or are in any need for medical treatment you'll be brought straight to me. You can also come to me whenever you feel you need to. Is that alright with you, Muika?"

She gave a small nod, continuing to remain quiet.

After a moments thought, the young doctor placed his hand against the girl's cheek, lifting her head up to look at him. The smile he gave, it was one of understanding, "I know you can speak, but I won't force you to do so. If you don't feel like doing so, then don't. I understand...this place is scary and I won't lie that you'll be faced with hardships."

He watched her, waiting on a reaction. A sigh of relief almost escaping him when he finally saw some emotion in her expression. It was worry, but at least it wasn't some dead stare..."Just know, if you ever want to vent or even just sit it out. I want you to come here. I'll be here to listen to you, alright? Promise me?" He asked, his tone kind.

After a few moments passed, he couldn't help a smile from appearing when he girl finally nodded.

"Then I'll be seeing you then, Muika."